News Corp journalist speaks out against online ‘bullies’

"Sometimes the LGBTI community is its own worst enemy"

NEWS Corp journalist Shannon Molloy has spoken out against the group of people that criticised him on social media over the weekend, prompting him to quit his position on the board of the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby (NSW GLRL).

The criticism took aim at Molloy’s News Corp employment, a media corporation that has commonly come under fire for publishing anti-LGBTI content.

“How can NSW GLRL call out the trans hate from News Corp when one of its national journos sits on the board?” Rodney Chiang-Cruise wrote on Twitter.

“News Corp pay people to destroy Safe Schools and make the lives of trans kids unbearable. Working for them is unethical,” Michael Barnett wrote on Twitter.

In response, Molloy has penned an opinion piece for The Daily Telegraph saying the bullying he endured online was even more hurtful coming from members within the LGBTI community.

“The awful feeling was all too familiar,” he wrote.

“Someone had me in their sights and decided to attack, and nothing I said or did was going to stop it.

“Suddenly, I was a kid all over again.”

He added that the criticism came despite all of the LGBTI news he’d covered in his position at News Corp.

“I’ve worked for News for three years… and extensively covered LBGTI issues – from marriage equality to Safe Schools,” he wrote.

“But in Rodney’s opinion, when it comes to me, I can’t be a participating member of my community while working at News Corp, because of some of its past coverage of LGBTI issues, including Safe Schools.”

He added that the world isn’t as black and white as perhaps Rodney or Michael see it.

“Mostly, I’m just sad – sad for Rodney, that he thinks the way he does, that his heart is so full of bitterness,” he wrote.

“However he’s not representative of the community. Don’t let him distract from the work that’s being done.